Scarlet Soul
by Silewolf
Summary: No one really knew why Mikaela left Sam after the Fallen's defeat, or how Starscream survived the boomstick's explosion. No human had any idea what awaited them two months after the fierce battle in Chicago. A challenge of death, great tears, sad memories, and a test of teamwork cross the team's path as they advance in their journey... the journey to the Pits.
1. Chapter 1: Under the Blade of Unicron

**Reference: I don't own Transformers. All of the characters, with the exception of two major OC's, belong to Hasbro.**

**Rating: T for language and violence in some chapters.**

**Updates: every weekends.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

**Under the Blade of Unicron**

Running away. Why was he always running away from everyone? No matter how strong he was, the foe, the ally were always a step ahead of him. No, this Seeker had no friends, just enemies like Megatron who enjoyed seeing him suffer, but everything had drastically changed since the glorious battle in Chicago.

Cornered, outnumbered and weaponless he appeared before the blazing with hate eyes of the native children. He kept stepping back, away from the grudgeful humans until a cold solid wall met his backstruts, making a shiver run down his spine.

"Hey, guys, give him no mercy!" a human child shouted, pointing his baseball bat at the kids' target. "Let's show him who's boss on our planet!"

"Yeah!" the six followers approved, readying to strike.

Starscream wanted to take another step back but couldn't move any further, as the brick wall was causing sharp pain to his damaged wings. He scanned the area for any escape routes. Several ideas flashed in his processor, then a reasonable one came to his mind.

The Seeker jumped onto a dumpster next to him and, gathering all remaining energy, activated his thrusters to fly over the obstacle, the kids cursing at their mistake. Starscream flinched when a bat collided with his helm, yet the now aching head didn't stop the mech from running away as fast as his short peds let him.

_'Primus, how can I still be online?'_ Starscream mused while crossing the dark empty streets. _'Why... Why do I have to suffer this?!... No, it must be all a bizarre dream. I can't be online, not in this FORM!'_

The Seeker halted in the middle of a sandy path. He didn't remember either having ended up in that street before, or the two-story private houses built in a circle around the tiny park. Apparently, the 'Con had stopped in the very center of the green area.

He couldn't get his optics off a miniature classical fountain that sprinkled water onto his faceplates. Jumping to the pool's edge, the runaway watched how the liquid changed colors from red till purple in a slow motion. Four benches stood in a row a bit farther from the decoration, their white forms glittering in the shadows of the tall thick bushes behind them. The lamp posts weren't functioning for some odd reason, but the mech appreciated the darkness as long as humans didn't spot him. For Spark's sake, he didn't want to go through THAT again.

"I couldn't have lost my way..." Starscream paused for a moment.

He heard a quiet sound, a whisper of a Transformer, no doubt, speaking in an absolutely alien language for the visitor. Oddly enough, no Cybertronian seemed to be around in the nearest quarter, so how could the Seeker's audio receptors be actually catching the discussion?

"You must collect all Spark chambers you find, Colonel. Only then I shall grant the desired request. If you truly deserve my respect, then no issues will occur during the quest of the M-"

"My liege, the government cannot be fooled for too long. They might suspect us of poaching if we continue hunting Transformers down."

'_Spark chambers!? What are these humans up to?'_ Starscream screamed in his mind. He felt his Spark constrict from all the pressure, forcing the mech to claw his other servo in order to calm the rapid beating in his chestplates. _'Whoever you are, Colonel, you won't get away with this. I hate to admit it, but the goodie Autobots will stop you.'_

"They are already suspecting us, and I thank your failure with the Pulsar Cannon and the Seeker. If the trophy is not retrieved till next Sunday, you will be first to perish in the Pits of Kaon along with the other useless lab rats!"

The named 'Con sharpened his audios. A voice of wisdom was telling him to skedaddle and never return to the park, no matter the consequences. He stayed, stayed and continued eavesdropping on the unseen duo until a rustling sound caught him off guard.

Hunkering down before the fountain, Starscream watched with upmost attention as a tall mysterious figure slowly made its way through the bushes to the lonely benches. Nothing could be seen under their cloak, nothing other than a pair of shimmering in different shades of yellow optics, which were gazing at the night sky without blinking.

The persona averted their gaze from the stars. Step by step they approached the fountain and took out a silver sword. White Energon stains were flashing on the razor-sharp blade's tip.

Starscream's frame froze stiff. He couldn't move. He couldn't think straight. The panic, the fear, the terror had taken him over. Now he was under the blade of Unicron himself with no way to escape... Then loud, clear sirens echoed in the distance.

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><p><strong>Author's note: I appreciate all kinds of reviews.<strong> **Feel free to post your opinions!**


	2. Chapter 2: Father's Daughter

**Chapter 2**

**Father's Daughter**

Mikaela always wondered what the left behind by her father badge meant to him. Just a glance at the red cat-claw-shaped item could tell it had no huge value, so why did he ask to cherish such a piece of junk for the rest of her life? No sense, his words had no meaning at all. The girl covered her face with a palm. Why did she even bother surfing the Net for any clues?

"No, not kids' toys... No, no way, it's not a camp badge either... What could you be hiding, father?" Mikaela mused aloud while clicking on random images in the search results. She wiped her sweaty forehead with a tissue and continued the research. "Come on, there must be something about you."

"The library's closing in ten minutes. Do not forget to log off before you leave!" the librarian shouted from the desk.

"Oh man, now what? — Huh?"

Mikaela dropped the mouse on the floor. A phone was ringing in her jacket pocket, making the other people shoot her a warning glare. The girl texted her friend with hope of getting them to stop disturbing the readers' golden silence.

_"Allie, I'm in the library. What is it?"_ Mikaela sent.

As she had expected, the answer arrived in a matter of seconds, _"Just wanted to know where we meet up. You know, to talk about the files we bought yesterday."_

_"Don't tell me you found something,"_ came up the answer. Other people kept staring at how fast and hard the woman next to them was tapping on the iPhone's screen, but soon returned to their activities.

_"Yeah, found an article about those thieves. You better come and see what Nolan's dug up in the site reviews. You aren't going to like it, Mika."_

Mikaela frowned after having read the message. Something was up, and it wasn't pleasant news. Hesitating a bit, she wrote a hopeful favor, _"Tell me. Maybe it's not as bad as it looks. Is it about the game in Chicago?"_

Either Allison was busy writing the whole script of the event, or she was planning out a short explanation of the plan. Mikaela bit her lip; she was hoping to see the second option.

_"Partly. Guess someone doesn't watch the news. Anyway, some old geezer claimed he heard wolfs growl in the Metropolis Park this morning. I wanna' check it out. Naturally, the cops are already there, so why not keep them company?"_

_"Sure, whatever. Just don't get into trouble, okay?"_

_"I'll be fine. See ya at the mart."_

The girl couldn't help but hide her face with her hands. She shook her head and looked once again at the crimson insignia on the table. Mikaela cursed at a sudden stupid, as it appeared to be, thought.

_'You wouldn't leave to steal cars again, would you?'_

"Certainly," the archivist's voice interrupted her from the work. "Is it the history of the Triptych?"

Triptych - a piece of art divided into three sections. The man reflected in the darkened computer screen resembled more a soldier than an artist. Of course, paintings were objects of some trooper's interest, but the glittering leaf green glasses covering the visitor's eyes just screamed for a certain watcher's attention. In order to please her curiosity, she had to spy on the target with utmost attention.

"Yes, Madam. Would it be possible to borrow the third volume? I am in desperate need of one copy for a project," the researcher asked. He took out a golden triangular slab out of his pocket and showed it to the woman, adding, "What would be your... answer?"

The librarian's usually kind expression vanished. She appeared to be neither calm, nor furious or even startled. Other visitors were staring at the woman as if they had seen a mad doctor in action . Taking a few shaky steps back, she blinked a few times before losing the balance and falling onto a filled with books box. Every person in the library hurried to the blacked out owner's aid. Particular readers, however, had many other important duties to attend.

Mikaela ran through the group with her eyes for the target. He wasn't among them! Then, she finally realized where the man had run off to.

"Damn, the triptych!" the girl cussed, speeding towards the history section.

Past the old shelves and books, past the boring biography area, she rushed downstairs to the basement's best collection. Long green paint trails, deep claw marks, crushed to dust vases greeted the runner as she advanced to the cellar door. Mikaela ducked; three neon green lasers cut through a painting behind her. The girl wouldn't dare to get up. She saw the cloaked man —was he a man at all? — aim a blaster mounted in his arm at her.

"The Triptych coding... all mine. My Liege should be pleased. That is, when I eliminate you first, human," he said with a devious chuckle, the gun not moving an inch from the hostage's face. "I don't pity innocent yet annoyingly weak brats."

"Why are you hunting Transformers down, or are you one of **them** as well?" Mikaela questioned. _'Me and my big loud mouth.'_

To her greatest amazement, the gunner burst into a laughter, "Silly human! We're not the ones you seek... at this moment. However, your Sire has something I yearn to get my servos on. How desperate he will be when I bring my Liege your remains."

Caressing an ancient book in his right hand, the thief activated his cannon. Light energy was gathering in the depths of its core. Mikaela put her arm up to distract him, but it didn't work. She covered her eyes at the sound of the blaster firing.

A tight magnet pull sent the human flying into a nearby wall. The smell of fresh burnt metal and rubber forced her to drop the defenses. Neither the man nor his deadly weapon could be seen. He, unlikely, wasn't the main object of the girl's curiosity.

"This piece of trash... protected me from the blast?" Mikaela asked herself.

She rubbed the glowing badge in her palm. A sound, similar to the one of transformation, came from the claw.

"Wherever you are, you freak, I will find out and won't hesitate to use **this **against you. Mark my words."

Meanwhile, a certain teammate was in a middle of discovering more for the human triad. Hitting almost all keys on the keyboard at once, a guy smiled in triumph when a download window popped up in the laptop screen. He went through his short black hair with his fingers and slumped down into a chair.

"3:0 to me, Leo Spitz, or whatever you're called in the web. I still have a whole server to hack," he said with the same cocky smirk.

"Hey, Nolan! Look who I found!" a female voice made him jump from the comfortable position.

Nolan turned around, his eyes widening in surprise. Out of all mistakes his little sister had done, the one before him had knocked him out.

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><p><strong>Who's this odd man in disguise Mikaela met, and what's his goal? What or whom has Allison found? Find out in the next chapters! Please review as well!<strong>

**Note: the mysterious man is not a fan character. **


	3. Chapter 3: Dead End

**Note: I'm sorry for such a long delay. I had a very busy week. Anyway, enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

**Dead End**

The sirens of the police cars had subsided, a crowd of officers with five K-9 companions marched into the park. Having discussed the plan, which was impossible to hear due to them speaking in a low whisper, they divided into teams of five and headed out on the scout.

One of the men stepped on a manhole cover near the entrance and shouted for his partner to catch him as the iron plate flipped open under his foot. Being quick to react, the second cop secured him by the armpits. The duo exchanged glances for a moment; that tricky sewer cover stayed on its place, yet they were positive a heavy object dove underwater. Whatever sunk into the greasy pool, they had no time to find out. Taking their belongings and helping each other out, the policemen left the hatch without even catching a growl come from the hole.

All right, hiding in a sewage system wasn't such a brilliant idea after all. Starscream splashed his servos in the water; there was no way he could get past the government's forces without being noticed now.

"Now that's what I call a real... bomber."

His audios received a reading of a human voice. He could not distinguish whether it belonged to a male or a female, as the manner of speaking and the tone blended into a combination unknown to him.

The Seeker spun to the left - no one; took a glance at the ceiling - only drainpipes, spider webs and some odd type of weed. He didn't have the slightest urge to fly and find out what the glowing plants could be. Then an idea struck his processor. He hadn't checked behind. Primus, he had repeated that awful mistake trice in a row. Starscream's venting slowed when a cold tip of a stick made contact with his wings.

Putting his hands into the air, he said loud and clear, "I surrender, human. Let us make a truce. You keep my existence a secret, and I do whatever you please."

"On the contrary, forget it. You're not the hot stuff I'm lookin' for."

"I do not follow you. What is it about me you want?" the mech asked, surprised by the sudden change of moods. The stick still remained pressed against his frame, yet an odd feeling was telling him the one speaking earned no pleasure from meeting a 'Con.

"Autobot or Decepticon? Who are you and why are you here?" the filled with venom questions pierced through his receptors. "Don't even think about lying to me. I hate liars, so I stomp their throats. You don't want this, do you?"

_'I do not recall meeting this fleshbag. Who does it think it is to threaten me? If only I knew what caused this defect... I am still in no position to order it around,'_ a thought ran through the captive's mind. Trying to calm his systems, he leveled his venting and finally answered, "Decepticon... I am a Decepticon warrior. I'm here on a quest."

"I think I warned you, little guy. Trust me; no Mini-Con has ever got away from our wrath. Tell me the truth or I-"

The Energon in the Seeker's lines began to boil. He no longer cared about the spear, the human or their warnings. The blades on his digit tips extended. Starscream spun around to face the insulter. His optics brightened in awe; how could he fall for such cheap trickery?

A red-haired young girl holding a plastic, as his scanners told, rod stood before him. Titling her head to the left, she took the lollipop in her mouth out and, spinning it around in her hand, stared straight into his optics, her faint grey eyes barely seen in the shadows of the pipes. She could definitely reach Witwicky's shoulder with her head, yet the fact he was a head shorter than that child infuriated the mech even more.

"I am no Mini-Con, you pathetic excuse of an insect! I am Commander Starscream, the true, ultimate ruler of the Decepticon race! I—" the Seeker bawled before covering his mouth with a free servo. _'If she works for NEST, I'm signing my own death note— Slag!'_

"Yeesh, I got it, I got it, don't bite my head off!" the tomboy said, adding emotion to her voice for the first time. "Need some help getting out of the goop?"

"Go to the Pits!" were the words she got in return. "I do not need _your_ help!"

"As you wish, asshole," the teen said, waving to the 'Con. "Bbye."

That word, that freaky familiar word which wouldn't escape his helm no matter how many times he tried. He felt the human's worried gaze fall like a heavy stone, similar to the one a child usually threw at the runaway in one of those fateful encounters. Sinking into the pool, Starscream hissed as a long lost memory replayed in his processor.

_-Flashback-_

A loud knock on a metal panel awoke the recharging Seeker. Jumping to his pedes into a defensive position, the Commander shrieked when his helm collided with the low ceiling. He fell on his backstrut at the sight of seven iron bars surrounding him in a circle. A dark blue mantle covered the cage, making the prisoner even more nervous.

"Have you completed project GammaZ, Gallant?" a male voice sounded in the room.

Even though the screams of two chains being pulled apart mixed with the human's speech, Starscream was still able to catch every single word he said. Coming closer to the cage's edge, he sharpened his audious to listen to the quieter Gallant's reply.

"Certainly not. Two subjects left, Colonel," his captor answered in a half robotic voice. "News from Liege?"

"Yes, our kindest Master wants you begin with the Seekers you found. According to the list he's sent me, first should be the one called Thundercracker."

"Not possible. I have not completed this project. So far, I have reactivated one in that cage. It is a failure."

"What?! Don't tell me you've messed up!" the Colonel yelled at the top of his lungs. "We can't lose any of those subjects! They don't just grow on trees, you know!"

"You did not let me finish. Failure means with defects in my vocabulary. You have any right to deactivate me for this error, unfortunately," Gallant paused. "Check for yourself."

Starscream backed away into the nearest corner as the visitor made his way to the cage, the noise of metal chains hitting against the steel floor following his every single step. A gloved hand pulled the sheet off the miniature jail, blinding light forcing the prisoner to cover his optics.

"Bye-bye, useless brat!"

_-End flashback-_

"Easy there, Stars. I don't bite even if I really want to."

Even though he couldn't see straight, the robot identified the grey material being rubbed against his helm as a towel. He didn't quite get the reason why that once careless of the jet's fate girl was now polishing his armor, until, of course, the mech's optics focused on the lower parts of his frame. They were all covered in Primus knew what.

"This is the worst solar cycle I recall from my data banks... Data banks... What has happened to them?" the Seeker mumbled in a trace. "Hold on a nano-click, why do you even bother helping a Decepticon like me?"

"Firstly, my designation, as you usually say," the teen almost shouted, crossing her hands, "is Kierra, not fleshling. Secondly, I'll win nothing from letting you swim in the mud."

Before the mech could throw a glare at her, Kierra jumped to her feet and lengthened the distance between herself and the alien. Starscream blinked twice; he didn't like that open in awe mouth of the girl, those bright beams illuminating the sewage, or that vicious roaring of a car engine.

"Don't move an inch, or he'll kill us," the human warned.

The duo kept cheer silence among themselves. Starscream was staring at Kierra, watching her eyes move from the left to the right in a very slow motion. Those shining lights wouldn't move an inch, wouldn't go dimmer, wouldn't react to their presence at all, but then, the flash of the car lights intensified. The girl shook her head, obvious disbelief reflected on her face.

"Target acquired. Engage immediate pursuit."

"Retreat! Retreat, you fool!" the Air Commander screamed, catching his companion by surprise. When the girl only answered with an unclear whisper, he shouted for her attention once more, "Kierra, snap out of it! I need you here!"

As if his words were a shot of a gun, the human returned to reality at once. Ushering another few words, she rushed straight to a cave with a lower ceiling, the mech following her step by step while watching their backs for the threat.

A police car was breaking through the metal sewage bars, and it was near passing the last gate. The lightbar on its roof was blazing in red and blue. It drove back a bit before ramming the obstacle at full speed, leaving nothing other than odd purple wheel tracks. Having spun three circles around in place, the wild machine bolted after its targets. Starscream read one line in white on a black background.

_To punish and enslave_

"Over here! Hurry, hurry!" Kierra shouted, interrupting the Seeker from his musings.

He hadn't noticed how deep into the labyrinth they had run. The human; he could not locate her. Even his scanners weren't picking up anything in the thick smog. Total nonsense began floating in his mind, giving the flier doubts about his ally. She must have considered leaving him behind as the best option, he had no other suggestions to make.

"Target. In. Sight."

Another flash was coming into view. Hiding his optics from the harsh light, the Seeker stopped in the very middle of the road. A crimson Peugeot 9009 had blocked the passageway. He soon heard the whistle of the Saleen's brakes. Neither car moved an inch. Both pursuers focused their flashlights on their target.

_'Barricade... Dead End... This cannot be true. They were both offlined in combat!'_ Starscream panicked.

"Mini-Con. To my side. NOW," Dead End barked in Cybetronian. "That's an order."

The Seeker withdrew to the police car's side only to hop back to his first position when Barricade released a warning horn. His rival didn't take the signal well.

"Barricade. Traitor," the Peugeot said in the same language. "Mini-Cons. Must. Capture."

"I wouldn't get on his bad side if I were you, Barricade."

Two humans and a tiny brown Transformer rushed to the red car's side. The male and the Mini-Con weren't registered in his data banks, but the female - he knew her all too well. Mikaela Banes, judging by her lost look, didn't recognize him, thankfully. She grabbed her small friend by the servo when it tried to approach the frozen trio.

"Don't, Longarm! He's not one of us!" Mikaela exclaimed.

"Yet," the male finished for her. "If he _is_ a Mini-Con, first of all, which I highly doubt."

"What do you mean, Nolan?" the girl questioned, her companion sharing her confusion by gawking at the guy. "Don't tell me the device Allison and Longarm brought was a fake!"

"Energy signature. Not Mini-Con," Dead End explained in his usual monotonous voice. "Decepticon. State designation."

The police, unfortunately, had second thoughts.

"Scan complete. Task: eliminate," Barricade interrupted.

The Saleen's doors flung open. Dead End hit the reverse, back to the humans, his wheels whistling from the sudden movement. Shifting to their real forms, the ex-comrades charged at each other, both seemingly forgetting about their main goals.

Starscream jumped aside as Barricade delivered a powerful uppercut to his rival's hanging lower jaw. Dead End didn't hold back. He retaliated with a greater knuckle punch right into the other's chest plating, but when the vampire was about to unleash another blow, the former 'Con fired several bullets through his shoulder. A noticeable shiver ran down Dead End's frame. His allies, to the Seeker's amazement, were cheering him on.

_'Dead End has joined the humans. Slag him! He's never been a worthy soldier,'_ the Air Commander thought, clenching his servo in anger. _'Those fleshbags are going to relook their choice when he gets out of control. Of course, you will be the first to suffer, Mikaela Ba—'_

Two warm hands grabbed and pulled him into the wall by the shoulders. Starscream had the urge to slash the person with his claws, until he heard the human hiss at him. He turned around to face her, and soon regretted doing that. It was Kierra, the same girl from before. He hadn't noticed it until she was up close. The teen had those eyes, the hungry red eyes of the Decepticons.

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><p><strong>Author's note: Why's Barricade attacking his comrades? Since when has Dead End joined up with the humans? Find out in the next chapter next week! <strong>

**Please leave your reviews as well. I appreciate all opinions, be they about the plot or the errors. I want to improve my writing.**


	4. Chapter 4: Crack Team's Recruits

**Author's note:**

**Thank you for your review, Starfire201! Also, thank you Lady Galaxious, and Leader of the Wolves; Shady Kitsune, Withengar, and Brittanyann200242 for following the story! You're the best, guys!**

**Here's chapter 4. Enjoy!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

**Crack Team's Recruits**

Mikaela watched out of the window as Tranquility was slowly vanishing into the horizon. They weren't coming back; she had understood that fact when Dead End mentioned the unavoidable pursuit after the team. For the sake of her friends, the girl had to leave, no objections about it. She had no other choice. Well, maybe not as reasonable as that one.

"You regret, don't you? You shouldn't," Nolan said with a weak smile. "There's nothing better than going on a drive round the states."

The girl gave her friend a bored look.

"Honestly, when was the last time you took anything seriously?" she asked, shifting her gaze to the driver. "Remind me cause I really don't remember."

"Pfft, and when I was trying to brighten things up," he grumbled, shaking his head for a while. "Unbelievable."

"What's so unbelievable about that?" his companion said, clueless about those words.

"I meant your reaction. You said the very same thing like seven years ago."

"You want me to say it again?"

"No, he. Does not," Dead End joined the conversation, sounding quite disturbed by the topic. "Do not. Argue."

The humans looked at each other, waiting for either of them to come up with a reply. As the girl believed, the Peugeot wasn't that much of a talker, but when the 'Con did take part in a chat, it meant he was either way too curious, disappointed or enraged like in the battle three hours ago.

"No one's arguing, big bud. Just talking. Relax," Nolan said, patting the car's dashboard in hope of calming him down.

"I do not get. You, humans. Too difficult. For Dead End to follow," the mech answered in a low tone.

"If you don't _get_ us, why join the team? Nobody forced you to, did they?" Mikaela asked, giving the driver a sharp look.

"No. My wish."

The girl couldn't help it; a question so meaningful was spinning in her mind like a record, yet she had no courage to present the idea. What if Dead End wouldn't catch the point? He used to be a Decepticon and a feared one. Then again, what reason for helping humans did he possess? A big mystery, maybe only for her because Nolan wasn't the kind of guy to learn everything from, especially if it had any sort of connection to others' personal lives. He, as many people would say, wouldn't let the cat out of the bag.

"Dead End, Nolan," Mikaela called out those names like she'd said them for the first time in her life.

Neither of the two uttered a word. The attention devoted to the mechanic was making her feel even more awkward. Having thought over her questions several times, she finally continued, "Why do you keep your partnership secret?"

"Err, what? Who told—" the guy paused. "Allison, I should've guessed...!"

"Listen, you two, we're a team. You know where I'm going, right?" his ally noted.

"Not a secret, human. Too unprocessable. For you," the mech interrupted in a monotonous voice.

With a loud 'Humph' the girl switched her attention to the sunset outside of the car. She couldn't cope with the men's stubbornness. What exactly would not their teammate understand? No, more important question; were they even a team? The mechanic had no clear idea if they needed her now. Maybe she was right; Nolan had those _friends_ who would come to his aid when any technical difficulties occurred.

The least thing she was expecting was the mentioned person proving her thoughts false by confessing, "Dead, she's right. We can say all we want in excuse, but she'll always be right. Know why?"

All of a sudden, the mech hit the brakes. Screaming for the 'Con to end the dangerous C turn maneuver, Mikaela covered her head in fear of flying off the road into the river downhill. She closed her eyes when the right front door collided with the cement barrier. All of the bags, suitcases, papers and maps started rattling in the backseat. The girl felt how the seatbelt was pressing against her chest, saving her from kissing the windscreen. She dared to open one eye only to see that blue abyss coming closer and closer.

"What's the big idea, Dead?! Turn on the gate already!" the driver yelled a bit louder than Mikaela for the mech to hear. "You'll kill us if you don't!"

The girl winced as the seatbelt's hold weakened. They weren't falling any more. That was a relief, for how long though. Uncovering her face, Mikaela's jaw dropped at the sight before her.

Apparently, Dead End had warped to an underground cave where a humongous gate locked the entrance to the other side. A unique purple shaped like an X gear was shining in the center of the door. The most eye-catching for the visitor was that eight-pointed star in the machine part's core. It was glowing in every single tone of purple, from violet to dark pink.

"The thingy —if I _can_ call it that— is a Quantum Lock. Designed by the Decepticons themselves. Really useful, no kidding," the guide explained, getting out of the car. "End of the line, partner."

"Oh, yeah, yeah, sure," the mechanic uttered, finally waking up from her thoughts.

Dead End jumped to his robot form right after the humans had reached a safe distance from the lock. Too curious to find out how the system functioned, the new teammate ignored Nolan's discussions about their previous chat and watched carefully as their alien companion took a fork-resembling item out of his, if she hadn't mistaken, subspace storage pocket. Without even taking a while to aim, he hurled the trident into the center of the device, shattering the thin glass cover.

"He broke the lock…" Mikaela whispered. "How are we—"

"Just watch already," her friend butted in, saying it as if things were so obvious, but not to his friend, unfortunately.

The device began spinning in place at the speed of sound. Quiet clicks and weak discharges were coming from the alien contraction. Then the cross divided into two sections and stopped in place. The doors slid back, revealing a gloomy passageway into the base.

She just stood there, in the middle of the road, the image of the shattering core staying as a fresh, unforgettable memory; until Nolan whistled to gain her attention.

"Cap Nolan to Mikaela Banes, come in. We are leaving. Repeat, we are leaving," he teased with a wide, comedian smile.

"Ha-ha," she laughed, her voice filled with sarcasm. "Really, your user is CptnDon101? How'd you come up with such a nick?"

"Puh-lease, it's better than LadiesMan217 in all da ways you can think of. Know why? Cuz it's-" he was interrupted by the girl's glare. "Geez... Fine, no more Ex talk, promise."

"Don't give me a reason to remember that day," she said through her teeth, clenching her fists. "Anyway, what is this place?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you yesterday. It's the new base where we work or, should I say, keep Mini-Cons away from those thugs," Nolan began, spreading his hands like a story teller beginning a long tale. "Thing is, we have only Longarm right now. Hope sis does keep him safe at home..."

"Wait, he's not one of those combiner Mini-Cons we're looking for?" the listener asked, earning a negative response. "You still haven't told me anything about the game, _Captain_."

The guy stomped the metal floor in anger.

"Oh, stop with the sarcasm! I'm being serious here!" the guide grumbled.

"Sure, whatever."

"As I was saying, some combiner Mini-Cons, —if Dead End's not kidding. He's usually serious though— can transform into some super cannon that can create a Ground Bridge. Yeah, it's a portal to another dimension," he retold. "We don't know who they are or what they want, but a delegation of people from the government wants that weapon... badly. Dead End thinks some Decepticons teamed up with them."

"I bet that creep from the library works in concert with them," Mikaela hissed, tightening her knuckle.

Nolan shrugged.

"Could be, but we can't be too sure."

"Hurry up. Humans," the ship's owner's displeased calls echoed in the corridor.

"Hey, we're not in a rush! There's plenty of time for everything," the girl answered.

"Never enough time. For anything. Too harsh life," the 'Con replied in a lowered tone. "No matter. Barricade data discovered."

"Yes, first catch for this week!"

Her partner sped down the hall without even caring to look back for the new girl in town. She didn't find running necessary, since the mission, no, the whole concept in general was new to her. Then again, all team members, though there were only the three of them, had to at least know the main objective; plus, if the team's leader hadn't lied, they would help her with the search of her missing father.

The mechanic rubbed her face to concentrate on the task. Those two found it important. So should she.

"Mikaela. State current position," Dead End ordered through the intercom. "Come to control bridge."

_'I must admit, he's not as careless about the mission as I thought. There must be a good reason for him to join Nolan in the first place,'_ the noob thought while sprinting towards the meeting point.

A shiny grey arch was coming into view. She dashed into the bright chamber only for Nolan to catch her by the hand. One more step and she could have fallen down the enormous staircase. The ship's owner was tapping some codes on a console below. A display which was around the size of two huge billboards connected together could be seen above the keyboard. Several control panels and dashboards on the wall to the left from the arch caught Mikaela's attention.

"Unbelievable... Dead, this doesn't make any sense at all!" Nolan exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air. "How could an offline robot beat you yesterday?!"

The 'Con returned his partner a look of disapproval, saying, "Dead End. Not skillful to battle. Barricade."

The mechanic checked the display and recognized the infamous Saleen. Her ally's guardian opened the whole profile, as she guessed, yet she wasn't totally convinced, because of the complex Cybertronian hieroglyphs.

"Transformers do not return. From Well of All Sparks. Unless turned Terrocon or resurrected by Primus," the robot clarified.

"He's like the god of Transformers?" Mikaela asked, winning herself a nod. "Alright, so you suggest the first option."

"Yes," the robot paused before saying, "and no. Terrocons are Transformers exposed to Dark En. Aka Dark Energon. Dark Energon never seen. Since Lord Megatron destroyed it."

"Damn, stuck in square one again!" Nolan cursed.

"Wait, you two," Mikaela said. "Remember how the AllSpark exploded in Megatron's chest? Optimus Prime found a fragment later."

"You mean, there could be shards of Dark En?" the guy asked.

"Possible. Sadly. Very possible."

* * *

><p>A shady figure ran down the forest path. Jumping onto a branch, then to another oak, it summersaulted down on a tall flat rock. Its green visor sparkled in the night's darkness when it read the text on the stone. Giggling like a maniac, it took out a coal black shard out of its subspace and planted it into the ground next to the grave. The crystal melted into a blue substance and soaked into the soft soil.<p>

"My Liege is in need of mighty soldiers. You've been chosen as a candidate," the character announced.

The grass in the area became silver colored. Even a weak tremor couldn't interrupt his speech.

"And the best of the best happen to side with the bearers of the pseudo-light," he continued.

Within a second, a dark figure warped to the waiting speaker's position. His servos, shoulder pads and knee joints were covered in nothing but rust, which was crumbling from the crystal's effects. A faded Autobot insignia forced the resurrector to frown a bit; until the taller mech roared right into his faceplates.

"Welcome to the Crack Team, Ironhide," the cloaked figure greeted with a sneer. "You have one day to find the girl and her Seeker Mini-Con."

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><p><strong>How come Dead End doesn't want to reveal the secret to Mikaela? Why does the Crack Team keep chasing Kierra and Starscream? Find out in the future chapters. <strong>

**Please review. I appreciate all opinions, error notes and suggestions. Tell me what you think!**


	5. Chapter 5: A Matter of Fate

**Thanks again for your review, Starfire201!  
><strong>

**Here's the fifth chapter.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

**A Matter of Fate**

That girl. He couldn't lay an optic on her anytime in the day. She would always slip away from telling him more, by more the Seeker hoped hearing her alliance or at least the knowledge about Cybertron the teen had gained. Now, however, she was leading him through the narrow streets of the suburbs to a secret base, where the teen promised to finally reveal her motives.

Starscream had no idea whether the human had told him the truth or not. He cared less about his guide's own goals unless they involved the cursed Colonel and his petty slave, Gallant. They had honestly begun to worry him whenever the, maybe even unthreatening, duo reappeared as a daydream he couldn't get rid of.

The Seeker managed to forget about those two when Kierra joined his side.

"Listen, when we enter the base, promise not to freak out, okay?" the girl inquired, looking straight into his optics.

Even though her eyes were under the cover of a pair of sunglasses, the mech grew uneasy from remembering what was hiding behind the black cover.

"Why should I be cautious of some humans?" Starscream noted, crossing his servos. _'Who is she taking me for?' _

"You looked like you'd seen a ghost way back then. Err, in the sewers, remember?" the teen reminded.

"I did not!" he objected, extending his claws in anger.

Kierra backed away a bit before taking off the accessory. The Seeker couldn't hold back his confusion. He kept staring at those now grey eyes until she began giggling for some odd reason. Starscream ignored the laughing; the change in colors had really knocked him sideways.

Eventually, the teen got bored. She waved her hand in front of his faceplates, saying through a weak chuckle, "That was exactly what I meant."

When her follower didn't utter a sound, she added with a deep sigh, "I know, I know I have red eyes, but not all the time, so I'm not an alien or a Transformer. We ain't no Pretenders either; just humans with red, yellow and cyan eyes."

"Hold on a nano-click, there are more of you?!" the Seeker questioned.

Starscream hadn't noticed how they entered a street so narrow that his wings were scratching the cement walls. He saw no entrances into the two buildings, just some bags of trash were decorating the brick wall in the end of the alley.

As they were coming closer to the dead end, a golden sparkle caught the mech's optics. There really was a door, but the grey camouflage was blending in with the house's wall so much that not all scanners could locate it.

Kierra took out a gadget — or a phone, as the humans called it — and pressed its screen against the metal. Before the Seeker knew it, the door slid up, giving away the corridor.

"Well, are you waiting for an invitation?" Kierra said, pointing at the hallway. "After you."

"You go first," Starscream insisted while thinking, _'I do not know you well enough... yet.'_

"Pfft, fine," was all she could say.

The guide hopped over the threshold and headed straight at a slow pace. Her follower, unlike the girl, was almost stepping on her heels, pushing the teen to walk a bit faster. Kierra didn't seem to notice though as the ceiling was more worth of her attention. Curious, Starscream looked up as well only to see numerous burn marks left by laser blasters. Maybe the human hadn't been lying after all, since the holes in the cement most likely belonged to the Mini-Con faction.

Soon enough, the Seeker's audios read music playing not too far from their position. The lights in the passageway darkened. When they turned round the corner, a door came into view. A sign 'Millennium Labs' was hanging on the knob.

"Ugh, for reals? You have got to be kidding me," the teen grumbled, tearing the paper into millions of pieces. "You guys, what were you thinking!"

Kierra slammed the door open. Both her and her ally's jaws dropped at the scene before them: ten different Mini-Cons had surrounded two human males in a circle, their optics concentrated on the duo only. If they were the girl's friends, then she hadn't lied; the guys, like his guide had mentioned, had blue and yellow eyes. The taller one had a cyberglyph inscribed on his neck while his pal, who was wearing a yellow sports visor, possessed the same mark on his lower shoulder.

"What are you bozos up to again?" Kierra asked, coughing to sound less surprised. "Where'd _they_ come from?"

She had the room's full attention now, excluding their guest's.

"Oh, hi ya, Kia! Long time no see!" the short stuff greeted with a shout and a wave. "Just some friends Downshift, Six-Speed, Chace and I freed from a jail in the factories downtown."

"Those Autobots didn't know what hit them!" his pal cheered, leaning against a chair. "Bet we'll definitely find all the Mini-Cons now!"

The boys exchanged high fives with their robot team, but when Six-Speed, a half green, half white racer, tried cheering the girl up, he stopped in his tracks and pointed his digit at the mech behind Kierra's back, chirping to the other Mini-Cons. Downshift, the purple racecar in the corner of the room, aimed his laser at the Seeker's wing, answering in the same electronic language.

Chace cocked his head to the right and grabbed Six-Speed by the shoulder plate.

"Just a plain old Mini-Con, Downshift. Stand down and let them in," his pal asked with a genuine smile. "Don't cha melt down Kia's new Mini partner right away."

Even though he didn't seem to be convinced enough, the protector withdrew his weapon and vanished under the black curtain.

"I do not serve any human nor am I a Mini—" Starscream growled.

Kierra pressed her foot against his ped and pushed him to the entrance, much to the boy's confusion. The Seeker kept struggling, elbowing her into the spine until he realized: Downshift knew his identity and, obviously, didn't tolerate his kind.

_'He certainly does not stand Decepticons. I should consider keeping my alliance undercover'_, Starscream thought.

"We're here not for chit-chat, Jay, Chase, but for business," the teen announced, rubbing her back. "Got anything on a guy named Gallant or the Colonel?"

"Kierra, could ya at least name that _Colonel_? There're like trillions of colonels in the World!" Jay cried out, covering his face with his palm. "I mean—"

"Zip it, Jayson. You're only good at reading comics, nothing more," Chace commented. "Back to business."

He ran towards the PC in the back of the room and started it up. Six-Speed took a CD case out of his subspace and hurled it to the technician, then joined the guy's company with Kierra.

"Six-Speed and I haven't gathered that much data, but I'll show you what I was able to get from Sonar's last transmission," the guy explained his tone of voice suddenly grim and low. "Sorry... I didn't mean to..."

"Show me what you have," Kierra said as if the mysterious Sonar had never been mentioned.

The other Mini-Cons and Jay gathered before the screen pretty soon, leaving Starscream on his own at the entrance. He used the opportunity to run a scan through the base. There was nothing worth his interest, however; just organic food and water reserves, oil and other human inventory he didn't really know the purpose of.

_'No weaponry... These humans are open targets for any Mini-Con hunters... ' _the Seeker mused. _'Hmm? What's this?'_

An oddly familiar Mini-Con showed up in the mirror before him. Starscream couldn't follow why the character in the glass had the same wings, helm and cockpit as well. The Seeker came closer to the reflector but then stumbled back and slammed his fist into the glass. He didn't pay attention to the gaping humans; rather, he eyed the broken mirror with a look of a wolf growling at a bear.

That dreaded Mini-Con symbol on his wing tips wouldn't disappear in the cracked glass. He no longer possessed even the most common features of the Decepticons: not fierce sharp but challenging optics, no intimating fangs but dental plates like an ordinary Autobot. No wonder the children weren't startled by his appearance; no wonder Kierra mixed him up with Six-Speed's kind.

"Nonsense! I don't believe this!" he yelled in outrage and punched the reflection another time, leaving nothing but dust. "I will never—"

"Quit it!"

Starscream felt a grasp on his servo. He tried to break free from the firm hold until the person pulled him to their side. Kierra, as it turned out to be, began whispering, "Don't let them know you're not one of them. I mean it, Starscream. They hate 'Cons and enough to offline 'em all."

"Those weaponless fleshbags?" the Seeker almost shouted at the teen.

"Not them, but a pair of Shifters, or what they're called. Both of 'em work for those guys," the girl answered. "They promised to rebuild Chicago if we helped returning all of the Mini-Cons and the Dark En."

"Dark Energon doesn't exist anymore, you fool!" the mech pointed out, doing his best to keep a low tone of voice. "And what makes you so sure you're not being deceived?"

"Nothing," Kierra cut him off. "They won't ever make it the same... I don't wanna' live in a graveyard even though they're trying to revive everyone with the Pulsar Cannon—"

"The Pulsar Cannon?" Starscream repeated.

He didn't notice how they had left the building. The human was leading him farther away from the base when they stopped in the middle of the crossroads. Although her eyes were hiding in the shadows of the night, the 'Con guessed she was as lost as he was.

"You know more than you speak of, little girl," Starscream hissed. He stepped up to the teen, adding, "The encounter in the sewer was never faithful. You were the one attacking their leader, weren't you?"

Kierra turned her back to the mech right after he had mentioned their first meeting. The teen muffed a sob with her hand and faced her companion with a fake expressionless face.

"It's Sonar's work, not mine. He thought you were Runway, and... He lost."

She suddenly broke off; her eyes switched colors once again. Putting the sunglasses on, the girl dashed off from the base's corner.

"They're here! Follow me!" she shouted from afar. "Hurry up!"

_'The more I stay with humans, the more I'm convinced our kinds have nothing in common!'_ the Seeker vented in annoyance. _'Whoever this Sonar is— was, better to say, he must have been the one to reveal our plans to the human... Grr, why do I bother remembering that grunt?'_

That memory was like a clear image before his optics. The unknown Liege and his chromium sword, the moment when the weapon's edge was above his helm — he recalled the tiniest details of that encounter. Sonar's identity, however, was something the mech wasn't able to receive from his data banks. No matter what way he chose to unlock the datum, the Mini-Con stayed as an unclear memory which the white blade had destroyed in a few seconds.

_'How could those two take me for a Mini-Con! I do not resemble one that much... Do I?'_ Starscream asked himself, forgetting about his pride for a moment. _'Taken prisoner, which I don't recall at all; mistaken for a slagging Mini-Con by a good-for-nothing human girl; almost assassinated by an obviously sick mech... Primus, why?_'

The Seeker yelped when he collided with a cold pole. He shook his helm to come to his senses, but almost fainted when his optics met the "formation" lying before him. Starscream covered his helm with his servos to brace for impact. A moment passed, another second went by, yet the frame didn't even shiver though the mech should have felt the bump.

"Ah, it hasn't taken you long, Barricade. This makes one mech less to deal with," Starscream spat, checking the Saleen's energy signature. "Where has that human lead me to in the first place?"

He ran a scan on the area; the human had apparently led him into a deep forest to the south of the city. Kierra didn't seem to be anywhere nearby, but the life signals he caught downhill mattered more than his guide's location. Cautiously, the Seeker approached the slope's edge with hope of seeing a pair of Mini-Cons.

His hopes had proved him wrong.

Two swords clashed before his optics, creating a shock wave in the field. The two weapons were pulled apart but then the swordsmen forced them together once again. Optimus Prime swung his blade to the right, ducking to avoid the incoming attack, and tried jabbing it into the enemy's right servo; his rival blocked the tricky maneuver by catching the sharp edge with his left palm.

"You have no right to decide the fate of humanity, Prima," the Autobot Leader said, knocking the silver sword out of the enemy's grasp. "I do not know how you have returned from the Well of All Sparks, but we will have to send you back."

"No one _is_ deciding the fate you speak of, Optimus Prime, no one other than the Decepticons themselves," Prima answered with a devious smile. "Unless you open your optics and see the reality, I will not assist you in your current quest."

And so the swords clashed once more. Neither side uttered a sound in the middle of the battle.

Those words the First Prime mentioned had a deep meaning, yet Starscream couldn't catch it at first. He understood the shadowed purpose of those words: a reason to avoid someone, the mech believed. That warrior was the last to die under the Fallen's grasp, the first owner of the mythical Star Saber and the one to be hidden in Egypt among the statues; the statues, they were the answer.

_'You're not Prima!'_ Starscream screamed in his mind.

* * *

><p><strong>Who is this impostor and why does he disguise himself as the legendary Prima? Will Kierra ever reveal what's really going on? <strong>

**Find out in the sixth chapter! **

**Don't forget to leave a review, please. Until next time!**


	6. Chapter 6: Energon

**I'm sorry again for the delay. Had to rewrite this chapter several times. I'm trying my best to follow the schedule.**

**Here's chapter 6!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

**Energon**

Bumblebee charged at a running trooper with a blade in his servo. He hurled the dirk into the soldier's neck, bringing him down to the blue grass. The Energon covering most of the battlefield was reflecting the scout's transforming servo. A golden mask shadowed the Autobot's faceplates as he directed his laser cannon at the Shifter's head, blue energy gathering in the gun's barrel.

When the mech was about to behead the shivering fighter, a pink motorcycle rocketed into his chest plates, knocking him to the ground. A homing missile passed overhead and blew five trees up into shreds three yards farther from Starscream's position.

The Seeker uncovered his helm, he crawled closer to the farm truck's wheel at the sight of black flames enveloping the tall trees; then disintegrating into flakes of purple powder. The mech let his palm out to feel the odd energy; he pulled back after the ice melted into a hissing liquid.

"It's active Dark Energon!" Starscream exclaimed, rubbing the burn.

Even the snowing acid wasn't enough to interrupt the battle of the Primes.

Prima hurled his sword into the Autobot Commander's blaster but missed hard. The blade cut several trees down and turned into black sparks of electricity. Optimus used the chance and assaulted the unarmed knight with his sword; he unleashed a blow on the opponent's knee joints, forcing him to the ground.

"Prima," the Prime said, withdrawing his weapon, "you fought for peace among our kind and the human race three million years ago. Why do you yearn to destroy this world so much?"

The named warrior rose to his peds, his optics lost in the Energon pool before him. Optimus Prime cocked his eye when the Ancient warrior began crying quietly to himself, yet those tears weren't of sadness. They reflected amusement, that kind of tease as if total nonsense had been said.

Raising his helm to meet the Commander's optics, Prima said to the puzzled warrior with a smirk, "I do not know what _peace_ Prima cherished enough to sacrifice his Spark over a race of greedy vermin and Sparkless Cybertronians," he paused. The knight's expression switched into a scowl as he said through his denta, "Who are now exterminating their own kin with the use of Dark Energon!"

Optimus's optics narrowed in response.

"You have mistaken, fellow Prime," the Autobot claimed. "We are not the ones to bring harm to the life on this planet. It is the opposite: we are doing everything in our power to protect its inhabitants and the Transformers who are seeking shelter from the remaining Decepticon forces."

"No, dearest brother Prime, you do _not _understand me. The ones you shelter, the ones who break the law of our father, Primus, shall destroy both you and your organic allies," the warrior foretold. "The Autobots themselves are breaking the rules of our Creator!"

The false Prima's frame began to change: a pair of horns, similar to the ones of a beetle, formed on the top of his helm, several long thorns growing on its sides. His new sword divided into two parts and morphed with his servos, creating three-bladed spikes on the forearms. Starscream set optics on a yellow plate in the center of the Shifter's bronze chest plates. The rhomb-shaped accessory was glowing until the impostor showed his true colors.

"Amalgamous Prime..." Kierra whispered behind the Seeker's back.

The 'Con hadn't even noticed how the human joined his company under the truck.

"What?!" Starscream cried out.

"And the first to test your fate shall be the one of the remaining four original Primes!" Amalgamous shouted, extending the razors on his servos. "Brace yourself, you double-dyed deceiver!"

"If that is your wish, so be it," Optimus Prime accepted, drawing his weapon.

So the forces clashed again, metal versus metal. The Shifter's plate began shining, his servo transformed into a morning star bursting with electricity. Starscream heard Kierra squeal when the two weapons collided. A screech of breaking iron deafened the watchers. The human was caressing her ears while her companion was resetting his audios' functions. Both of them couldn't look away for a moment; the team, including the Autobot and the Shifter squad, didn't dare to say a single comment on the battle.

Until an Autobot announced to her nearby allies, "He has no chance against us with that morning star. How can he— Optimus, I'm picking up two enemy signals close to our position!"

Amalgamous and Optimus ignored her warning. They continued on with the battle, pressing the weapons' remains against each other, until a sharp whistle interrupted the duel. The Primes broke apart; the grey missile flew past their noses.

Starscream was gaping in horror, his lower jaw was shaking with fear as the rocket was going straight at the car they were hiding beneath. There was nowhere to run: Autobots were controlling the area. They had no time to escape; inches were left till the silent death reached them.

"What's this?" Kierra asked. "A switch?"

She pulled a rope from the car's exhaust pipe. The Seeker felt his Spark rise into his throat when the soft grass disappeared from under his chassis.

"Kierra!" the mech yelled, sounding more enraged than concerned.

They were diving down a dark endless chute, the human latched on to the flier's servo. He heard nothing but their voices, their prayers for life, and soon felt how the teen began squeezing his digits, trying not to lose her grip.

"We're gonna' die!" she screamed. A tear was streaming down her cheek.

_'How could I have forgotten?!'_ the jet finally realized, mentally covering his face plates with a palm.

He activated his thrusters, breaking the fall. The teen bore her fingers into his armor; she was about to slip, but the mech caught her by the wrist and pulled the human up to optic level.

"It's not that easy to get rid of me, little girl," Starscream said with a weak chuckle. "You still have a lot to say."

"I kinda thought it was the other way around, 'Scream," Kierra mocked.

The girl shrieked at her partner for weakening the grip. She wiped her face with her palm while muttering unclear words to herself. The Seeker smiled in satisfaction. No matter who was accompanying him, he enjoyed others being afraid of him, unless it wasn't ruining the task.

"My designation is Starscream to you, human, and if you think I follow your _suggestions_ and _leadership_ because there is no other option, you are lying to yourself. There_ are_ other ways to return my glory, but they'll come in use when I earn the information you possess," the Seeker spoke.

Starscream shook the teen's arm but she didn't react. She was gazing at the tunnel's depths, and even if the human heard, she paid no heed.

"Are you even listening to me?!" the mech complained.

"I sort of was till that light showed up," Kierra answered.

"Humph, you didn't really think I would fall for your tricks again?"

"Well, I'm not playing _pranks _now."

The girl hadn't lied; purple streams of energy were radiating from a vent to their right. Those gashes left by no animal on the hanging grate were the first to catch the duo's attention. Her teammate detected a purple crystal stuck in the wall. He tore it out and yelped, releasing the fizzling ore. It landed onto a pipe way down and melted the delicate metal into a liquid that soon covered the entire tube.

"Active Dark Energon," the 'Con identified the substance. "One crystal is enough to turn an entire legion into scrapmetal. We should get out of here. I don't like this place."

"Me neither, but," the human objected, much to her follower's surprise, "what if it's the stash Sonar was talking about?"

"Stash?" the Seeker repeated.

"Yeah, he said there was a Mini-Con ship buried somewhere in Tranquility, and that all sorts of artifacts and libraries were stored on that ship," the teen explained. "Now that I think about it, it makes sense. Why else would a brand new car be parked in the middle of a forest?"

The mech shook his head in denial.

"And what if your envisions prove wrong?" he inquired.

"You want to beat the Colonel or be beaten and stay as a minibot for the rest of your life?" Kierra challenged, a wide smile planted on her lips. "Either yes or no."

"If you only knew how much I despise you, girl," Starscream grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah, you said that a million— Huh? What's this?"

Another rope was hanging next to the duct. Kierra swung forward to grab and pull the trigger, yet her companion dragged the teen away from the switch, adding, "Do _not_ touch that!"

"It doesn't work anyway," the human said, sticking out her tongue.

She demonstratively pulled the string back and forth. Lumps of dust mixed with rust were showering down from behind the panel while the contraction itself stayed mute. Kierra giggled at her partner's relieved vent and tore the cord out by accident. She bit her lip when electricity began sparkling in the hole. The grate swung up, a pair of fluorescent lamps lit the short passage into a chamber on the other side of the wall.

Starscream felt his follower's gaze fall on his form.

_'What a persistent creature,' _he thought while helping her climb into the hatch. _'Hopefully, she isn't slowing me down on the mission. She proved to be more useful than before. Maybe— Humph, ridiculous! Starscream, do not grow attached to her!'_

"Commander, you might want to see this," Kierra said, shining a flashlight at his faceplates.

The girl left to explore the chamber. Wasting no time for consideration, the jet flew up to the entrance and peeked from behind the corner.

The teen's light lit up an enormous collection of the cursed Energon crystals rowing up against the walls. Starscream got a lump in his throat; he couldn't count how many scrapped Mini-Cons were hanging on each of the six corners, spears crafted from the glowing ore holding them in place by the servos. There were at least five control panels on the bridge, each serving a different purpose if the Seeker hadn't mistaken. The enormous display, however, wouldn't be that useful, as a single wire was supporting the heavy screen.

"Finally, some technology I can use," the 'Con snickered, rubbing his palms against one another. "If it's functional, that is."

The mech spotted a small text written on a panel next to him. He soon discovered more ancient Cyberglyphs burned out on almost every object in the room, and all of them described the same thing: Dark Energon.

"Girl, come here," Starscream said, beckoning to his follower.

Kierra ran up to the panel, inquiring, "What's up?"

"Rewrite this formula to your datapad or how you humans call it," he ordered.

His teammate cocked her brow at him, her mouth opening to ask yet another question.

"Do not give me _that_ look. I'm merely being precautious," the jet interrupted.

He turned his back in response to the teen's angry frown, adding, "So copy these formulas while I'll be searching for a way to online these contractions."

All of a sudden, a heavy pole crashed right behind his back. The 'Con faced the source which turned out to be his teammate literally digging up her backpack, throwing all the unwanted stuff into the corner of the room, including the folding rod from the sewers.

_'On the other hand, I must be on my toes when around her. She might leave clues behind. I don't want to be caught by the Autobots or the Shifters because of her carelessness,'_ Starscream thought. His optics focused on the tablet next to the backpack. "Hmm?"

"Where's this dammed notepad? Ugh," Kierra growled, knocking the pad with her foot to the mech's side. She looked at the Seeker picking up the gadget. "It's Sonar's. I don't get a thing that's written there. Oh yeah, if you're interested, the data on those two creeps and some weird Mini-Con are in it. Hope _that's_ not a waste of time," she said while still swimming in the junk.

Her companion ignored the teen's last remark and opened up the first link in the list. A menu consisting of four entries: Mini-Con, Triptych, Game in C, which were in Cybertronian, and Kierra's entry: The Crack Team loaded on the main page. The 'Con scratched the back of his helm as he paused on the second one.

"I recall this Triptych from somewhere," he said in a hoarse whisper. "But where from?"

An odd voice distracted the mech from reading. He heard continuous shuffling, some kind of coughing, which reminded him of the Cybonic Plague symptoms, and chains hitting against each other. The noises subsided after a while, but then the slow, lifeless speech rang in his audios in a clearer version.

_"Gallant, have you secured the Triptych Codes?"_

Was it the Colonel he heard?

_"Negative. They have been reclaimed by the Irish Library in the town that goes by the name of Tranquility."_

_"The Lord's going to be steamed! How else are we goin' to find the Triptych Mask?"_

_"Do not worry. I will head out to retrieve our treasure as soon as Cron brings the codes. Then I will be able to enter the—"_

The voice broke off.

"What? Where should I use the codes?!" Starscream shouted, staring at the ceiling as if it could provide him with an answer.

A weird feeling interfered with the mech's hunt for solutions. He sensed as though there was something he didn't know of. That sheer silence was alien for the situation, and since the 'Con no longer sensed the _unneeded _partner, or heard her goofy jokes and remarks, he wasn't so confident in completing the task.

"Human?" he called, his voice losing all the usual strictness. "Come out, this is not the time for games!"

He heard none other than his own echo.

"Kierra?" the mech began to shout in hope of hearing at least one annoyed sigh.

The 'Con felt his Spark skip a beat when a barrel collapsed on the floor. He saw a grey shape that, perhaps, was her hoodie, loom in the corridor near the fallen object. Starscream ran in pursuit of the human, thinking, _'Oh, when I get my servos on you, insect...'_

Columns of Dark En were lighting up the passage until a crossroads came his way. Five roads were leading elsewhere in the ship, and they had no significant differences. One of them, however, caught the mech's interest with a faint yellow glow.

As he was going down the stairs, the shine was becoming clearer, was intensifying and now reminding the light coming from a million candles in a temple. More Mini-Con frames had come his way. The flier bit his digit when he saw bright Energon crystals covering their cuirasses. Four shards were securing six, maybe seven or even eight robots on each wall, and every single of those pieces was flashing with the light of the alluring Dark En.

"What could have happened?" Starscream said, examining the trooper's with his optics. "Huh? Is this?"

He approached a Seeker Mini-Con lying curled up in the corner of a dead end. The blue flier resembled him a lot, but not enough to be mistaken for the Air Commander — that was his belief though. Starscream bent down and poked the jet into the visor.

"You've been offline for at least a week. The frame is quite cold for a recent shutdown," the 'Con spoke. "Oh, and what do we have here?"

He removed a paw-shaped badge off the other's shoulder. As soon as the gadget disconnected from the armor's surface, a hologram of its owner showed up above the claw.

"To whoever's received my message, I am Runway, the leader of the Air Defense Mini-Con Team. If you've found me in the Micron ship, leave immediately. Repeat: leave immediately. You have been warned."

"That was not what I had in mind," the Seeker said, swinging the device like a pendulum before his optics. "I should take a sample of this Energon just in case—"

He broke off as a cold servo connected with his shoulder. Grabbing the sharp digits, he threw the assaulter overhead into the wall. The black Mini-Con rose to his pedes before the 'Con could come to his senses and tore out a crystal from Runway's frame, which began morphing into a longer, deadlier pike.

"Humph, I can too play that game," Starscream accepted the challenge, pulling out his own Energon spear. "But I'm not holding back."

His rival wasn't waiting for a signal; he charged at the Seeker, aiming the sharp edge at the enemy's helm, but the opposing mech blocked it with a swift swipe of his pike. The Mini-Con went by a more cunning approach and unleashed an outside low kick on the enemy's calf, almost tripping him in the process. Starscream had another move coming, however; he let go of his spear and slipped out of the falling bot's way, who landed on his knee joint. The flier dodged the attack directed at his shoulder and jabbed his entire servo into the other's spine, tearing through the armor effortlessly. The Mini-Con jerked up and down to break loose, tried kicking the attacker into the chest, resulting in the five knives digging deeper into his back. Soon the frame fell limp. The 'Con's sensors weren't picking up his energy signature.

"Puny scrapheap, you didn't really think you could defeat **me** in battle, did you?" the Seeker boasted, taking his claw out. His mood darkened when he remembered his primary objective. "Ah, no matter, I still have to find that insolent brat! Now where could she be?"

Starscream spat at a sudden thought that came to his mind, _'Why should I care? 'I could just leave her here alone. She's the one to leave me behind in the first place! Besides, I don't need a human who could give me away to the government any time tailing me around!'_

He squeezed the wire in his servo, almost crushing it into dust.

"Besides, I have the data I need," the Seeker said out loud, picking up his pike. _'And the useful weaponry... Grr, why do I feel like I owe her?— Oh slag, I must be spending too much time with the humans!'_

He reached the crossroads once again, but stopped in his tracks as a screech of metal echoed behind. Starscream spun on his heel, his spear ready for action, yet the corridor was empty. That fact was disturbing him the most. The Mini-Con had vanished, and not only the black one; every single one of them was gone!

"This is the first and the last time I listen to the human. Something's definitely wrong here!" Starscream growled, lowering the weapon. "This place's even worse than Dromedon!"

The mech slowly went around the corridors with his optics. None of them showed any sign of danger until the grey glint of a familiar hoodie sparkled in the fourth hallway. He checked the choices once more only to see the same shining in all of them at the same time!

"Starscream, help me! Starscream!" Kierra's shouts came from the hall to his left.

Without giving his actions a second thought, he activated his thrusters and zoomed into the passageway. A faint light illuminated an arch up ahead, marking it as an exit. Starscream slid on his pedes towards the threshold, stopping at the entrance. He made a step back at the sight of a Mini-Con team awaiting his arrival with guns and Energon spears pointed at him. The group opened fire on their target, making the flier to back off till his wings collided with a cold frame.

"You didn't really think I'd fall so easily, did you?" a gruff voice whispered into his audios. "Well then, here I come!"

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><p><strong>What's the secret of the Micron starship? What are the Mini-Cons up to? Find out in chapter 7!<strong>

**Thanks for reading. Reviews are welcome. **

**Happy Holidays, everyone!**


	7. Chapter 7: A Game of Words

**Chapter 7**

**A Game of Words**

Mikaela couldn't avert her eyes from the screen even for a moment. She clasped the claw badge as Arcee was reporting the Autobots' mission results to both her and Nolan. Dead End soon rejoined his companions at the Control Bridge with a pair of glass tubes in his palm. Their agent's optics widened at the sight of the Decepticon vampire.

"Dead End's your guardian?!" Arcee exclaimed. "He out of all Decepticons—"

"Is the only one we can trust," Nolan interrupted, failing to keep a straight face. "And does that really matter?"

The femme looked at Dead End, then at the human, and then again at Dead End with a hint of skepticism. She shrugged the guy's question off and continued on with the discussion while still keeping optic on the 'Con.

"So, what's with Barricade?" the 'Bot posed a question. "Any leads on how he's still online?"

No matter how much of a pessimist he was, Dead End managed to come up with at least one positive reply, "His systems running. At 75 percent. Rate of survival is. High."

"That means Dark Energon can really revive extinguished Sparks?" Arcee asked, her voice full of newborn hope.

Mikaela gave the Decepticon a confused look. She scratched the back of her head, saying, "Wait a sec, you said he was dead!"

"He wasn't," Nolan answered, biting his nails. "Arcee, does the Pulsar Cannon mean anything to you?"

Said femme almost laughed at that question. With a loud cough and a shrug she answered, "Well of course, it was Wheeljack's invention which blew up into our faces when we used it. Why are you asking?"

"There's no real Dark Energon found. In Barricade's chassis," Dead End revealed. "I don't know how. But he was under someone's. Control. Who used this."

He placed the tubes on a console next to him and removed the first one's cover. The mech pulled a lemon yellow crystal out of the container. Mikaela couldn't stop staring at the glittering ore, which, to her greatest surprise, divided into three when the 'Con poked it with his digit.

"This is Synthetic Dark En. Found in Barricade's armor," the 'Con identified, placing the test subject back into the vessel. "It can morph. Into weapons. Revive the dead. But not like true. Dark Energon. Finally, it masks energy signatures; its structure is peculiar."

"Wait, don't tell me it's made of Energon Que created," Arcee guessed, biting her lip when her ally didn't provide her with an answer. "This doesn't make any sense... The cannon was destroyed, so how can Synth En be still created?"

Mikaela threw a brief glance at her teammates. Dead End was hiding his emotions, as usual, but his partner didn't seem that collected. The girl cocked her head to the side when Nolan covered his mouth with a knuckle, trying not to earn too much attention. Apparently, he knew more facts yet kept them hidden, much to the mechanic's dismay.

Dead End, having noticed his nervousness, bid farewell to the agent, "If we get any. Information on that matter. We'll contact you."

"All right," Arcee said. "Keep your guard up."

Nolan took a deep sigh as the transmission had ended. His partner turned towards the exit while Mikaela kept staring at the guy, waiting for him to notice her look of disapproval.

"Why didn't you tell her?" the girl's question sounded more like a demand. "She's on our side, for Pete's sake!"

"She wouldn't have been now if we'd told her, Mika," Nolan said, dropping his head onto his knees.

Mikaela got up from her seat to prove her teammate's statement wrong, but he beat her to it.

"Why do you think I asked about the Pulsar Cannon?" he reminded, now staring into her eyes. "Well, cause someone from the Autobots keeps gathering its remains in Chicago! I have no idea why Dead hasn't shown you the other crystal; it's the same but only black, and that's exactly the thing that keeps the others on the enemy's side!"

"And what does that have to do with the Autobots? It's not their fault someone's stealing that stuff!" Mikaela claimed.

"That's not what. He means, Mikaela," Dead End continued in a grim voice. "Arcee may not know that. Three Mini-Cons were testing. The cannon. They were Runway, Jetstorm. And Sonar. They disappeared afterwards. Jetstorm was found offline. In a forest with. Synth En crystals growing. Out of his Spark."

"But how's Barricade survived?!" Mikaela pointed out. "If these three died, why's he alive?"

"We don't know that..." Dead End said. "We only know it has. Caused major damage. To the environment. Chicago will never be. The same again."

He clenched his servos into tight knuckles, scratching his palms. The 'Con turned to leave, yet halted under the arch when he heard the girl say, "If you guys can't come up any other excuses, then _excuse_ me!"

Then she went past the 'Con like the raging wind.

"Uh, Mika, don't act like a nine-year-old!" Nolan shouted after her. "Come back!"

Yet the girl didn't listen. The door slid back as she ran towards the ship's exit without any care if the duo were tailing her or not. Mikaela turned right, then left and made it into a narrow hallway. She stomped the floor in anger at the sight before her; the hard metal rang under her feet.

"That idiot Dead End with his stupid... dead ends in the middle of this dammed rust bucket! Ugh!" the mechanic cursed.

She slumped into the corner and wrapped her arms around her knees. The girl looked at the tall ceiling, then rubbed her face with a palm when remembered what was lying hidden behind the thick layers of steel — miles of rock till the very surface. No ways of escape without having to plead her two teammates existed. Mikaela clenched the badge in her hand at that thought. The device cracked in her clasp, forcing the girl to release the item. It landed on the floor with a weak, barely-heard rattle.

"Who am I kidding? If these two morons can't find some Mini-Cons, what chances of finding dad do they have?" she concluded, hiding her head with her hands. "All Nolan keeps doing is overloading me with those promises."

Mikaela picked up and took a brief glance at the claw.

"This badge means a. Lot to you. I see."

"What do you want, Dead End?" the girl asked, not caring to turn to meet the mech's optics. "I don't wanna' talk."

"I don't _wanna_ talk. The other time too," Dead End said

He tried mimicking her voice but sounded like a guy talking through his nose. Mikaela gritted her teeth; she was doing her best not to bite the 'Con's head off for that tease.

"Thanks _so much _for the comfort! You really know how to cheer someone up," she said sarcastically, glaring daggers at the mech. "I hate you Decepticons! I bet it's your friends behind all of this!"

The girl raised her hand to get rid of the claw, yet she didn't move an inch. She felt its weak, constant vibration. The badge began to transform; its nails extended and connected with the claw's bottom. Then the upper part slid to the left and shifted into an arrow that had four black holes in it, similar to those of a speaker's. The panel it revealed had no buttons, just a screen with totally random symbols disappearing and reappearing in the corners of the display.

Mikaela jumped from her position. She'd made several attempts to remove the bracelet; it slid back and forth, around her wrist, to the left and to the right, but didn't get off.

"Just what is this thing?! Why won't it come off!?" the girl growled, giving her companion a pleading look.

"Because you've announced the. Password," Dead End explained, coming closer to the human. "To answer your first. Question. It's a kind of. Universal device the beast Transformers. Used millions of years. Ago."

"And now _we're_ using them in the present times, hah."

The communicator's screen lit up, showing a horned, silver bot with half of his faceplates masked by the shadows.

"Don't think about. Forcing her change sides. Amalgamous Prime," the 'Con snarled, bending down to the display.

"I see you're standing by the side of their team, Mikaela Banes. I was expecting you joining the Autobots," the Shifter said with a smirk. "What a good choice you've made to stay with these two. At least they're not being tricked like some nitwits."

"And at least the Autobots aren't running with their tails between their legs like some Shifters," the human jeered.

"Mikaela, don't—" Dead End warned her, sounding rather disturbed by the chit-chat.

The Shifter muffed a chuckle with his fist.

"Nice try, but if you think you can hook me up with that, try coming up with a better insult," he said, his smug smile growing wider when the girl frowned in response. "After all, I'm not here for a fight, rather for a message concerning your father to deliver."

Mikaela pulled the bracelet away from her face in response to that word. She began to panic; they had him, they had her father. The human tried thinking of a threat to say, but not a single sentence but stutters came out of her mouth. She silenced herself when the Prime moaned in annoyance.

"Listen, Banes, I don't plan on seeing any drama here. Your friend, Dead End, knows what I'm saying right now: the Shifters don't have your father. Pfft, why would I bother kidnapping vermin anyway? Yuck!" Amalgamous said, sticking out his tongue in disgust.

"Watch your words. Prime," Dead End warned in a sinister hiss that was making goosebumps appear on the human's skin. "I will not hold. Back like last time. If you continue this... Game of words."

The Prime's expression changed into a sour scowl. He puffed a cloud of steam like an angry bull but then calmed himself with a powerful shake of his helm.

"If you want to see your father, Mrs. Banes_,_ do visit this area near Chicago," were his last words before the screen went black.

The bracelet had gone silent for a moment. Then it shot a green beam into a nearby wall. A portal opened up before their feet. Oddly enough, the accessory slipped off the human's wrist and transformed back into its first mode.

Mikaela heard gears shift behind her; Dead End, driving up to the girl, revved his engine and unlocked the front door, saying, "Climb in."

Even though he hadn't ordered her doing so, the mechanic quickly got into the car without any complains or remarks. She was looking neither at the windscreen, nor out of the glowing windows, or even at her badge, but at the furry carpet under her moccasins. Guilt was following her around, like a curse she couldn't get rid of, ever since the Decepticon, the one she used to hate so much, had stood up for her.

_"I hate you Decepticons! I bet it's your friends behind all of this!"_

_'Well, duh, Barricade's attacked us in the tunnels. We lost the little girl and that Mini-Con, thanks to that bucket of bolts!'_ Mikaela thought, closing her eyes for a second. _'But it's not Dead End's fault… Hmm… And why did I have a feeling I'd seen that Mini-Con before?'_

"You've found the best. Time for musings. Mikaela," Dead End grumbled through the radio. "We have arrived."

No talks, chats or grumbles, just eye-rolling — the only gesture she cared doing to show her annoyance with the grumpy mech.

She forgot about everything, even her father moments later; the city of Chicago, or what had remained of it, was stretching from the shipyard till the horizon. Clouds of smog were thickening above the shortest buildings, blocking the rays of the morning sun. All sorts of junk a human could imagine after having heard that word was floating on the surface of the water that reminded fresh lemon juice.

Mikaela bent down to the liquid and tried touching it.

"Touch that. Get a second-degree burn," Dead End warned, going further into the city. "Stay watching the fish. Carcasses. Lose me in the scrapheaps."

Mikaela turned her head towards the Decepticon yet met his back. He stopped at a certain point and looked back at the human with a physiognomy that resembled a sort of scold but not a too strict one. Dead End's left optic narrowed as they kept staring at each other.

_'Why're you not with Amalgamous if you know him?'_ the girl mentally asked, cocking her head to the right.

The next thing she knew, came a reply that shot her doubts down with four accurate strikes, "Because Autobots and Shifters judge everyone by the faction they've chosen. Nolan's never labeled me as a Decepticon. He's never judged me for looks or by strength like other humans. That's why I don't understand you, humans, especially like you, Mikaela Banes."

"You-ou ca-n talk—" the human said in a weak stutter.

"Brace yourself!" Dead End shouted, leaping over the human to shield her from danger.

He jumped high into the air and caught a blue F-22 Raptor by the wings; the jet was making circles in the sky to throw the hitchhiker off, which didn't have any effect till the pilot boosted his speed and flew farther from the ground. Dead End lost his grip on the left wing yet was still holding onto the second one. Then they both vanished into the haze.

Mikaela cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled, "Dead End!"

"What's the point in all the shouting? They're not too far from the stratosphere after all."

Mikaela spun around to meet the speaker who turned out to be a short man leaning against a black truck. His grey uniform and the red beret were giving him away as a military worker; however, something about that soldier, besides the odd dog chains attached to his boots, was screaming to the girl to leave. Then she noticed it, a keychain swinging back and forth in his right hand. It was a replica of her own badge, only in silver and blue colors!

"Right, girl, you're looking where you should be, which makes us a step closer to the deal," the man said, taking off his beret. "I have these."

He raised his hand and shook the device teasingly.

"Trade me yours, and I will let your friends go _peacefully_," he added with a smile, his green eyes shining cunningly. "Ironhide, show them what I mean."

The truck's doors slammed open while the plating on its frame began to shift. Mikaela stepped back in awe when two screams, a childish female and a bit pitched yet very familiar male one, came from the inside of the car. She heard the noise of moving gears as the vehicle transformed in none other than Ironhide himself. The human was gaping at him holding a horrified teenage girl by the hood and a frozen in fear flier Mini-Con by his wings. She was gazing at the captive while he was gazing back at her.

"Starscream?!" Mikaela shouted in amazement.

* * *

><p><strong>Will Mikaela give her precious item to the soldier, or will she forget the past and save her old enemy? Find out in chapter 8.<strong>

**Thanks for reading! Suggestions, notes, reviews are all appreciated.**


	8. Chapter 8: Chicago for Dead End

**Disclaimer: the lyrics of the song "Come With Me Now" used in this chapter belong to Kongos. No exceptions.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

**Chicago for Dead End**

Her eyes darted from the badge to the girl, from the teen to the Seeker, then again to the badge. Mikaela placed her hand into the patch pocket of her jeans; she couldn't come up with the final decision. Unclear thoughts were racing through her mind, and none of them provided her with a reasonable answer because of the memories, memories of the past Decepticon encounters.

"My patience has reached its limit, Rogers!" the soldier barked. "Give up the badge, or your friends Runway and Kiana will be swimming among the dead in the sea!"

The claw's owner tilted her head to the right in lack of certainty.

_'I bet on my life it's Starscream! He must have mixed them and me up with other people,' _Mikaela thought, hiding the claw out of the enemy's sight.

The man had almost crushed the gadget with his muscular hand. He trampled on a tin can under his feet in fury. His foe couldn't help but reply with a glare to his violent outbursts.

"If that's your decision, then I'll take what I need by force!" the soldier snarled. "Ironhide, retrieve the B-Tooth and get rid of her!"

The Autobot hurled his hostages into a scrap heap behind. His servos transformed into a pair of great cannons, which he aimed directly at the human. Step by step Mikaela turned back as the ebony mech marched after her, but then the she remembered something; she remembered how Sam introduced her to Bumblebee, how they had been racing for their dear lives with Barricade hot on their tail; how they met the other Autobots and defeated the Fallen.

And they've achieved that goal as a team.

"Ironhide, don't you remember me?!" Mikaela shouted in despair. "Don't you remember Sam, Optimus, Bumblebee, and Captain Lennox? Don't you remember how we'd beaten the Fallen?"

Ironhide lowered his weapons, completely absorbed into the human's words.

"Don't listen to her lies!" the man fumed, throwing his beret off. "I'm your Colonel! You must be following MY orders!"

"No soldier will be following your orders!"

A weak tremor forced the Colonel to his backside. The human peeked from behind the Autobot's pedes. She got into a defensive position as a weak beam came Ironhide's way, who blocked the attack with his bare servos. Mikaela uncovered her head when a jet engine sounded nearby.

Before neither she nor the enemy had a chance to come to their senses, a blue Raptor dove out of the clouds and was now going straight at Ironhide! The mech opened heavy fire on the aircraft, yet his foe had it all planned. He switched to robot mode and let the missiles pass and crash into a nearby crane. The whole machine began to tremble. Both humans ran for their lives as the jib began bending down to the field.

Mikaela was running in search of the safest cover without looking back. She tripped over her foot in panic; the construction crashed with a loud thud yet there was no tremor. Slowly, the human got to her feet and turned towards the docks, where Ironhide was battling... another Starscream? However, the blue paintjob had triggered a different memory.

"That's the same guy who attacked Dead End way back then!" Mikaela whispered to herself. "How many _Starscreams_ just are there?"

"For your information, there's only one, which is me."

Mikaela jumped to face the speaker yet calmed instantly. There, leaning against Dead End's car mode hood with his servos crossed, awaited the Seeker Mini-Con. His girl companion was looking out of the back window, gawking at the mechanic with her head tilted to the right.

"No time. For pleas. The Colonel is escaping," Dead End noted. "He's our only. Chance to discover their. Goals."

"He's right, you guys. Let's get him while his servant's aft is being kicked!" the teen supported, waving to the duo.

Mikaela looked straight into the 'Con's optics, expecting him to turn away, but he didn't. Starscream answered with a glare so hateful that the human felt as if he could see right through her.

"_Come_ on!" the teen whined.

"Fine," the mechanic said through her teeth. "Show the way, Dead End."

They both got into the car yet were still keeping distance from each other. Dead End hit the gas and zoomed towards the main street. Mikaela heard the girl yelp in the back when the Peugeot made a sharp C turn round a road sign and boosted into the highway.

"Well I don't see anyone," she said while checking the scanners on the dashboard.

"Nolan sent me data. On the Colonel. One of the Autobots is working. With him. And providing the Prime with. False information," the driver reported, adding some more speed. "We must. Not. Be late!"

"Hang on a—" the teen pleaded.

"There is... NO TIME!" Dead End cut her off.

He switched to the sixth speed. His engines whistled from the sudden mode change, and the car darted like a rocket towards a broken bridge. Mikaela felt the adrenaline rush into her blood as the Peugeot rose high into sky. Seconds began passing like minutes in a slowmo movie. She saw the other side of the ramp coming, and even the yellow water boiling in the barricades of trash below didn't scare her.

"Yeehaw!" Mikaela cheered, throwing her hand into the air like a cowgirl.

Dead End landed onto the weak armature and went down a steep slope, at the end of which awaited another gap in the road. Moments were left till they fell into the smelting pool. Mikaela felt a pair of sharp digits tear through the soft seat, scratching her back a bit.

"_Afraid to lose control. And caught up in this world…"_

"Dead End, turn back!" Starscream ordered, baring his claws further into the leather. "I don't want to be sent to the Pits!"

"That's what. I want," the Peugeot chuckled, obviously making fun of the mech. "To avoid."

Mikaela shuddered when she heard something shift on the right front door. A thin laser gun emerged from under the car's armor. It shot a blue bolt at the upcoming Energon pool and froze it, creating an icy dead man's curve around a statue.

_"I've wasted time, I've wasted breath. I think I've thought myself to death"._

"Prepare for a bumpy ride," Dead End warned.

_"__I was born without this fear. Now only this seems clear.__I need to move, I need to fight, I need to lose myself tonight.__"_

He drove onto the ice and performed a dangerous C-turn. Mikaela cheered at the top of her lungs while the other passengers yelled at the top of their lungs as they were spinning around the headless sculpture of a military officer riding a horse. Dead End switched speeds once again and slowed down on the fourth circle. The mechanic leaned against the seat as her driver entered the half-destroyed city streets.

_"Whoa, come with me now!"_

"That was... fun," she said, looking at the steering wheel. "But I wouldn't want to try that again."

"You weren't afraid. Unlike on our. Last trip to the base," Dead End reminded. "You've made. Progress."

"Thanks," was all his teammate could come up with. _'Last time I thought you wanted to kill us. Now I don't.'_

"Umm, it'd be nice if you kinda had warned everyone about the... roller coaster," the teen said, gulping nervously. "I'm just sort of afraid of quick movements."

"Oh. Forgive me... What's. Your name?" the Peugeot questioned.

"Kierra. And you're Dead End and Mikaela, right?" the girl asked, smiling at the rear-view mirror. "Nice to meet ya."

"You got it right," Mikaela answered. "Likewise."

She checked the car's radar. She noticed a green shape being lit up on the display. Whatever the scanners were showing, the target was moving on the other side of the street. Dead End, surprisingly enough, didn't seem to plan on making a turn.

"Dead End, aren't we supposed to be after the Colonel?" Mikaela pointed out sarcastically, watching the steering wheel with upmost attention. "What's up with you?"

"I was... Checking the. Satellite readings. Nolan sent me," the Peugeot answered as if he were in a daze. "The enemy. Is on. The. Other. Street."

_'Satellite readings? I know Nolan's a hacker, but not such a dedicated one. What are you hiding again?_' Mikaela thought.

She squealed in alarm when the Peugeot, all of a sudden, slammed the breaks. The mechanic rubbed her shoulder where the seatbelt had squeezed on. She raised her head only to see a pink blockade or —better to say— pede on the road.

"Dead End?" Arcee's voice boomed from above. "What are you doing here?"

Mikaela felt a weak shiver run down the floor. The radar's screen had gone black for a second before a white window with grey text appeared instead.

_'We can't let her know about those two! If she does, they're scrap!'_ she read. _'Good point... Though I would tell her if the girl wasn't on his side.'_

"Just what are you up to this time? Even though you are working with Mikaela and Nolan, this doesn't give you a status of a _trust-worthy_ Decepticon," Arcee said in a displeased tone. "So, do you choose the easy way or the hard way?"

_'I'm done for,'_ was written on the screen.

But before either the car or Mikaela could come up with an idea, Kierra opened the car window and pleaded the femme, "Hey, um, hold on a second, okay?"

"A human?!" Arcee exclaimed, her head jerking up in surprise. "What business are you attending with the likes of him? And who are you, first of all?"

"I'm Kiana, and I'm searching for my house," the girl explained, avoiding the femme's sight. "I know it's dangerous and all, but... I just wanted to take the stuff my parents have left in it."

The teen looked at the ground and took a deep breath.

"It's the only things I can keep as a memory of my family..." Kierra said, wiping her nose. "And I asked Dead End to take me there."

Arcee stayed silent. She moved her ped out of the way and headed towards the other side of the street, saying in a grieved whisper, "Be careful on your search, child."

"Thanks, I will!" the teen shouted, closing the window.

As soon as the tainted glass shadowed the girl's face, she slid down the seat, wiping her forehead in relief. Dead End slammed the gas pedal and hightailed out of the open into a small cavern created by a fallen skyscraper.

The group was travelling in silence. Every time the car's wheels sank into dented road, the driver would curse quietly to himself in Cybertronian and continue on with the driving. A weak sun ray was shining into Mikaela's eye. She blocked the beam with a sun visor and noticed three spiky wires hanging from one of the windows above. Crystallized Energon was glowing on their tips. The human turned away in disgust as more En shards showered down through the cables.

Mikaela felt a new force pressing her against the seat. Were they climbing a mountain? How could there be mountains in a city? The mechanic turned her attention to the windshield and gasped in alarm. She felt sweat pouring down her forehead as Dead End was going up another skyscraper.

The peaceful music playing in the car didn't distract her from the scene both on the right and on the left. Sliced into two skyscrapers with yellow En crystals sparkling on the sun had cut the city center off from the highway; different kinds of aircraft, those being Cybertronian tech and the Earth's jets and military planes, were crashed into the pavement.

Mikaela changed the rear-view mirror's position and covered her mouth with her palm in astonishment. There, on top of the building behind them, lay lifeless a gigantic worm-like creature. Both Starscream and Kierra looked back as well, yet the teen's companion didn't seem all that intrigued by it than the humans.

"Shockwave's Driller... So they've managed to defeat that rodent," the Seeker said, unsurprised. "Dead End, how many Autobots and Decepticons have managed to survive this battle without counting those revived?"

"Decepticons: very close to. None. Autobots: very few deceased," the 'Con listed. "There were. Fewer Autobots. Than Decepticons. Overall."

"What do you have on Megatron, Shockwave, and Soundwave?" Starscream brought up the next question. "Have they survived?"

"Nothing on either Lord Megatron. Or Shockwave," Dead End reported. "The Harbinger's databases. Show Soundwave as offline."

Mikaela smirked at her enemy's smug smile.

"Don't worry, Starscream. I think an army of toasters and microwaves might help you in defeating the Autobots," she joked, leaning against the seat.

"Don't test my patience, Banes," the Seeker warned. "I _will_ use my perfect chance to settle this!"

"A toy truck sounded more threatening than you," the human teased, her smirk growing wider and wider.

"Why YOU!" Starscream yelled, extending his claws.

"QUIET!" Dead End bawled.

The Seeker's glare had vanished instantly. He sat back and turned his gaze towards the city, huffing something unclear under his venting. Kierra stared at her ally for a while, then shifted her gaze to the windscreen. Mikaela bit her tongue; she still had goosebumps after that shout.

"If you-s. Don't understand-sh. Me after the first. Warning-sh," the Peugeot paused, his voice distorted from anger. "I will shout-sh. All the time-z."

_'I guess that's why Nolan had told me not to play on his nerves way back then...'_ his teammate thought, gulping nervously. _'Even Starscream's afraid of him...'_

"We. Have arrived," the driver broke the silence. "The target is. Here."

"Um, you sure?" Kierra asked, looking out of the window. "There's like a pit and that sort of stuff..."

"I am never. Sure," Dead End revealed. "That's. What my scanners. Show me."

Mikaela was first to get out. She approached the entrance in the building's glass and looked down, saying, "This whole construction's unstable. I think you should stay here, Dead End."

"I wasn't going to," the mech said. "I shall. Guard the exit in the back. In case if the Autobot. Comes."

"Is that so?" Starscream questioned, joining the ex-enemy's side. "Well, then take the other human with you. I don't want her tagging along."

"Uh, hey! I can stand up for myself!" Kierra protested, clenching her raised fists. "I don't wanna' do sentry duty!"

"I have _not_ asked for any opinions, girl. Just do what you are told," the Seeker commanded, sounding awfully calm about it.

He then turned to face his ex-enemy, adding, "As for you, Mikaela Banes, don't slow me down."

With those words he jumped into the building and disappeared into the darkness. His ally rolled her eyes, yet decided to follow eventually. Landing swiftly on her feet, she checked her surroundings: the Seeker had already gone further into the construction.

"Mikaela," Dead End called. "Keep your guard up. And try working. As a team."

_'Me and the likes of him? That's hard to imagine,'_ the human pondered. _'He'll betray me at the nick of danger.'_

"I know what. You are thinking," the Peugeot continued. "But we have. No other choice."

"There's always another choice, Dead End," the human answered. "You're just being pessimistic again."

She heard a door slam shut, and Dead End revving his engine. Then the noise began fading away until nothing could be made out.

They had left...

"Don't take me wrong, Dead End, but I can't just jump and begin trusting him. And don't ask me why, because you already know the answer," she debated with herself while staring at the hole in the glass. "Ugh, whatever. I'm still stuck with him... and for good."

Mikaela shook her head after having said that. She left the entrance and went towards an open door in the floor. With the aid of a hanging cable, possibly the remains of a power cable, the explorer slid down into the next room which turned out to be an office, and perhaps the one that used to belong to a manager. She picked up a bronze name tent lying close to her feet.

"Dylan Gould," the girl read aloud.

The tent met its end outside afterwards. Nothing else seemed to catch the visitor's attention. The room was almost empty, since most of the furniture was either crushed into dust by an unknown force, or simply waiting to be found way below.

Mikaela was about to leave when a twisted picture frame got in the way. She looked upwards and noticed two photos hanging on the ceiling.

_'I've got a weird feeling this might be what I'm looking for...'_ the visitor guessed.

She tried finding what to cut the ropes with. The girl ran up to a cupboard and searched the shelves, yet there were forks, spoons, tea cups, and, much to her amazement, plushies, and no knives or any other kind of razors. Then an idea struck Mikaela's mind.

"The claw!" she exclaimed, taking out the badge. "If only I remembered how it worked..."

When the human uttered those words, the badge began to glow. It transformed into the same bracelet from before, but two razors stuck up from the upper part of its screen. Mikaela tried pressing her finger against the display, yet it didn't come online. Instead, the thorns began charging electricity.

Cautiously, the mechanic aimed the weapon at the strings. She felt a tough force push her hand to the floor when two red arrows cut the paintings down and went right through the cement, leaving triangular marks in it.

"Gotcha!" Mikaela said in triumph, catching her prize. "Huh? It's- It's them!"

The explorer blew the dust away from one of the photos. The dirt was impossible to remove from the glass cover, and most of the details were shadowed by a thick layer of cement powder. However, four unpleasant faces were still recognizable. Those were the faces of her long-time-favorite Colonel, the unforgettable Leo Spitz, who she didn't know that well, Dylan Gould, and an unfamiliar boy with a yellow sports visor and an odd hieroglyph on his shoulder.

Mikaela placed the second picture onto the cupboard but didn't let go of the first one. She had been staring at the faces in her own silence for a while now. The mechanic raised her head; her eyes darted to the wall where another shadow besides her appeared. Whatever the creature was, it pretty much reminded her of a bird, yet which one? A swan, since it had a long neck and huge wings? The human snapped out of her musings when the being made a step closer.

She spun around on her heel and aimed her gadget at the... wall? There was no shadow or any so-called swan behind her, but how? Was it all her imagination? The explorer didn't drop her weapon. Grasping the picture in her hands, she came up to another hatch in the floor and kicked it open.

_'It must've been my imagination,'_ the girl concluded, dropping her hand.

Soon enough, she raised her defenses in response to a loud thump and a crash. The noise was followed by three bangs, making the visitor wonder whether a battle was being held or not. Her thoughts had proved wrong, again.

"This isn't funny, human! Let me out!" Starscream roared. "You'll regret this, Banes!"

"What's he talking about?" Mikaela whispered to herself, confused.

She jumped to the lower level and checked her surroundings; there were two iron doors at the end of the corridor. The one to the right, unlike the left one, had a huge dent that became bigger when someone rammed it another time. Furious growls were coming from the other side.

"Let me out of here!" the Seeker demanded in a louder voice.

"Pipe down, will you?" Mikaela said, running to the closet. "I'm coming already!"

She pushed the knob down, but the rusty handle wouldn't budge. Pushing the door back and forth hadn't brought any results as well. Then the idea of using the bracelet became an option, yet the girl stopped in mid-thought; the first time she used those arrows they burned through the cement.

_'I might kill him that way...'_ the claw's owner realized, tossing the idea away. _'I'm just doing this for the girl.' _

"What? Can't open the door you've locked?" Starscream mocked, punching the obstacle. "The Colonel is escaping thanks to you!"

"Have you ever thought before blaming someone? Why would _I_ lock you in and then try getting you out?" Mikaela said, annoyed. "Where's the logic in that?"

After a short pause, the mech barked, "Don't teach me _logic_, Banes! Just open the door!"

"Sure, whatever," his companion said, heading towards the other side of the corridor. "I'll go search for a crowbar or something. Try not to attract any attention while I'm at it."

"Just hurry up you human. The sooner I get out, the sooner we leave," Starscream noted, proving a good point. "The Colonel is still roaming around this area, so don't even think of not returning."

"I know, right?" the girl said. _'Damn, I'm not that helpless.'_

She pulled the knob of the next door. The hinges howled like a train hitting the breaks, but still opened. Mikaela's jaw dropped; there were around ten doors and all of them were absolutely the same, or were they? There were nameplates on the three of them. The third name, unlike the other two, was painted over in black.

_'Kowloon for Thundercracker. Ibiza for… Chicago for Dead End,' _Mikaela read. "What the hell!"

* * *

><p><strong>What do those odd nameplates mean? How's Mikaela going to get out of this mess? <strong>**Find out in the next chapters!**

**Feel free to post suggestions, notes, and opinions. Reviews are appreciated.**


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